Last update: 20/11/2007

Integrated pollution prevention and control

Both community and national policies on integrated prevention and control of pollution produced by industrial plants (which have a high environmental impact)  have highlighted the importance of encouraging and assisting industrial activities to adopt new ecocompatible techniques, among other tools of action (with specific reference to BAT - Best Available Techniques).
The rule of reference in this field is Community Directive no. 96/61/EC, known as “IPPC” (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control). This was acknowledged in Italy by Legislative Decree no. 372 of 4 August, 1999 (Official Gazzette no.252 of 26 October, 1999) which was limited to existing industrial plants.
Indeed, this Legislative Decree regulates the integrated prevention and control of pollution produced by industrial sources and the issuance, renewal and revision of Integrated Environmental Authorization for plants included in a specific list.

The Integrated Environmental Authorization, with which an industrial plant (or part of it) is allowed to operate, also fixes the operating conditions in accordance with the same Decree of reference.
This provision, which replaces all other currently required authorizations, also defines the operating modalities of the same plants.
The Integrated Environmental Authorization is the provision that enables a plant (or part of it) to operate according to certain conditions and it replaces any other approval, no impediment document, opinion or environmental authorization.
Legislative Decree no. 372 also defines the Authority in charge, which is the governmental Authority in charge of evaluating the environmental impact (VIA - Valutazione d'Impatto Ambientale) and this is the Authority identified by the Regions.
The same Decree also regulates public participation to preliminary technical procedures on authorization applications and the preparation of an inventory of the main pollutant emissions coming from controled industrial and productive activities.
All managers of plants included in the IPPC Directive list and in Legislative Decree no. 372 must apply for renewal of the operating authorization, showing that the existing plant responds to requirements of general rules contained by the same Legislative Decree.
The eventual adjustment of existing plants must be concluded by 2007.
There are several thousands plants currently operating under the Directive. The exact number is difficult to establish, but the regional distribution shown in the figure below seems to have stabilized.
Yet again, the area where most of the major industrial activities are located is confirmed to be the North.

Regional distribution percentage of plants subject to IPPC (ISTAT data processed by APAT)